Men’s Lacrosse: Danes’ Thompson wins 2015 Tewaaraton Award

By
Laura Amato, Troy/The Record

Thursday, May 28, 2015

WASHINGTON DC >> It was really only ever Lyle’s award to lose.

Lyle Thompson, the recently graduated University at Albany lacrosse standout, was named the 2015 Tewaaraton Award winner, becoming the first-ever player to win the honor in back-to-back years. He and his brother, Miles, shared the award last season.

“It feels good, I am proud of my team, proud of everything they have helped me with these four years, and everything we have accomplished at UAlbany,” said Thompson. “That is what matters to me, is that the name 2015 UAlbany lacrosse team is on the trophy.”

Thompson was the odds-on favorite to win the Tewaaraton once he was named one of the five national finalists earlier this month. Of course, there’s a good reason for that.

The Great Danes attacker, who made his Major League Lacrosse debut earlier this week, set all-time NCAA records in career points (400) as well as assists (225) as a senior this spring. His 121 points this season were good for second-best in UAlbany lax history. Number one? Lyle.

Thompson’s entire family was in the crowd at the awards ceremony, once final audience after years of standing in stands and on sidelines for the better part of the last decade.

“It felt good with all my family here. All of my brothers made it, my sister made it,” said Thompson. “My nephews, kids, nieces. They were all here. So it felt good to win the award with him here.”

Thompson, who was a starter in all four of his years with UA, was the face of, not only his program this season, but of college lacrosse as a whole, garnering national attention for his on-field performance and off-field ability to create brand-new fans of the game. He regularly signed autographs for lines of fans after games, whether or not he played on the UAlbany campus.

“What a fitting way to end one of the most outstanding careers ever,” said Danes coach Scott Marr. “He will go down as one of the best players to ever play, and we are looking forward to seeing him play in the professional and national levels.”

Thompson, who joined his older brothers as a Nike signee earlier this month, will return to the Florida Launch later this week. We can all probably expect Thompson Brothers lacrosse sticks on shelves sooner rather than later.

“I’ll be busy. I’m staying around the game,” said Thompson. “I’ve been around this game my whole life, I’ve had a stick in my hand my whole life. So I’m going to keep playing professionally, keep going to play the game the right way and get sticks in more kids hands.”